The World of Eithlodon
The Beginning "There was a time when we did naught but love, child..." Eithlodon is a world made up mostly of water, even the vast lands and Kingdoms that cover the earth have some measure of water moving through them or around them. There are only four Great Kingdoms while there are three Great Seas and three Great Oceans that make up the world of Eithlodon. The world of Eithlodon has only ever had one 'Greater Being' the Deity of Water who patiently coaxed the waters down to manageable levels in certain areas and gave birth to great but dangerous creatures in others. In the beginning of time she had no name, simply known to all as 'Mother Deity' and being loved by all on both land as well as water. She had created Humanity first, having already created vast amounts of creatures on both land and sea she decided to create something else thus humans were born from water and earth. It was natural for creature and human to struggle against one another but soon enough there were creatures that bound themselves to man, feeling pity for the two-leggers. As bound creature and human lived together they began to evolve and bind themselves more tightly to the human...soon Mother Deity came to know them as Soul Bound or Bond Mates. As time passed and humans themselves evolved as well, they learned to make proper homes for themselves as well as building bigger communities. Their curiosity for the water drew some humans to learn how to make floating devices that would carry them across the blue liquid. Life in a sense was peaceful in the beginning of Eithlodon and while Humans and creatures alike struggled there was no true hate or anger to be had. The Mother Deity was content and so she slept for a time beneath the waters, letting the life she'd nurtured run its course without interference from here any longer. Lands rose and fell, bodies of water growing and shrinking as centuries became millenniums. Man learned and grew along with time, building civilizations and creating what would be known as the first Great Kingdom. Highcoast. Morality's Sin "Arrogance is what poisoned our world and led to The Mother fleeing..." Time had truly passed indeed... When the Mother Deity woke again from her long sleep she was surprised with how much life had changed around her. While man was still learning how to understand the sea they had no desire to tame it. They were at one with it, working together with the waters and creating an almost mystical connection with the almost sentient being. People had gathered across one great land to celebrate the waters and all the gifts Mother Deity had given them, including their lives. Touched by the great love people had nurtured for her and continued to hold on to Sailors rarely feared the waters as she was merciful and always made sure to guide them back home. What she held dearest of all was when they named the Great Waters and thus her...Loreley. A yearning soon became known to Loreley as she watched her cherished children...A yearning to be among them and to make her love known to them. She had always lived separately from them, unable to touch and unable to be touched by those she held so dear. So she did the unthinkable... Loreley gave up her immortality to become a mortal. When she came to as a mortal woman she could not remember much of how she'd given her immortality or the conditions made with the Father Darkness. However, when she did come to it was to be surrounded by men and women alike...her children. For the first time she knew what happiness truly felt like and she wept out of joy. Later she was told she'd been found near the water's edges near Highcoast wearing the most beautiful dress made up of fabric they could not name. When they asked for her name she knew it would be unwise to give them the one they gave to her so she feigned amnesia and said she could not remember it. Loreley spent the next days within Highcoast learning the ways of her children, helping to farm and tend to children while in return she gifted them with songs. She was jokingly called Songbird among the people for no one could deny that she had the most beautiful voice that entranced everyone who heard it. It was also becoming commonly known that she was a beauty that none could compare to yet not one woman could ever feel jealous because it was also known that her heart was too kind. Often she'd hear the water's whispers and absently mention it to the people or whoever was nearby. It was this that sparked the idea of her new name and the people called her 'Lorelei'. It wasn’t long till the people realized that Lorelei was no ordinary woman, she had a healing touch that was far too mystical to be human and her voice when she sang seemed to catch them all in a trance. Many times she was asked how she was able to do it but it wasn't as though she could simply tell them she'd once been their beloved 'Loreley' so she'd simply smile, shake her head and reply "I do not know". She became known as ‘Lorelei, the Sea-witch’ and ‘Lorelei, the River Queen’ for all her miracles came from the water. However, Lorelei paid little attention to what they called her and instead…her eyes was set on a different prize. A prize called ‘Love’. She had become smitten with a sailor, he’d come from a poor fishing family but it mattered little to her. She was besot with him and him with her. The news of their love had been a happy one for many, there were few who did not want to see the beloved Lorelei happy and if she desired a poor fisherman then who were they to deny her. They had met during one of her lower periods when she was suffering from missing the waters she'd been such a large part of. He'd happened upon her and had heard but never seen the Lady Lorelei until then. He'd noticed how unhappy she'd seemed and had pestered her until she admitted that she longed to be out on the water but that no one would take her. After only a moment of deliberation he'd told her to meet him in the same spot on the cliff that night before rushing off, leaving her confused but curious. She learned later that night upon meeting him as agreed to that he'd planned on taking her out into the waters. After that it became routine for them to sneak out at night and explore the waters around Highcoast, watching the creatures of the deep. The unlikely friendship soon turned to love, especially when Lorelei could no longer lie to him and admitted to who she truly was even though she feared he'd distance himself from her. Instead though he'd told her that he'd always suspected since the first day they'd met and he'd seen her upon the cliff. Of course...her blissful happiness was not meant to last and Mortality is always a fragile thing. One man was scorned by the fact she’d brushed off his advances for a poor fisherman who he felt was inferior and went to the king when the sailor was away. He plead with the king that Lorelei was an evil witch sent to them to cause havoc within the kingdom. She was bewitching them all and putting them under a spell. The King, already worried that this ‘River Queen’ would attempt to take his throne, took to the idea with little thought of all she’d done for them and all the times she'd sung for him as well. King Aphetus Halloway ordered her immediate banishment. She was to be exiled from the entire kingdom and sent to a nunnery that was secluded from everyone. All the while this was happening Lorelei and the townspeople had no idea and were celebrating happy news...Lorelei was pregnant with child. Everyone was preparing for the arrival of her husband to tell him the happy news when the proclamation sped through the kingdom...When Lorelei heard she was crushed. The news caused havoc among the masses, some falling for the lies while many refused to believe it. Many spoke out, demanding proof and threatening to go against the King but Lorelei intervened. She calmed the masses and agreed to the King's terms and all she asked in return was that no one told her husband what happened...not even about her pregnancy.It was a simple request and in a single moment of guilt, King Aphetus swore by his throne that none would speak of her fate to the man she'd fallen for and so she prepared her things for the long voyage ahead of her as the King sent guards to watch over her voyage. Lorelei, on her way to the nunnery, desired just one last look from her favorite cliffs, where she and her fisherman had always met, out into the vast waters before she was to be banished. Her guards, pitying the beautiful woman who seemed so docile, agreed so long as they went with her. No one had known that the cliffs had been crumbling little by little over the years. So it had taken only a single step too close to the edge and then it had given away from beneath her feet. One step and she was lost to the humans but upon her death and her body meeting the waters below, miracles were born. During her fall she remembered her great sorrow over being separated from her love and the sorrow of him never knowing his children. Her sorrow seemed to be the key because the moment her body met the water's below she remembered the agreement she'd had with Father Darkness...if she met him again out of natural causes he would leave her mortal but should human vanity be the cause she would be immortal again and the world cursed to endure hardships that they'd never known before. Just like that a the first Sin was committed and upon her broken body sinking into the water, life was born from her as her essence left to rejoin Father darkness...Eithlodon was blessed and cursed with Seafolk. The Fall "Our downfall was of our own making...nothing will change that." As promised the King made sure that when the Fisherman came back he did not know the fate of his beloved. The Kingdom was a duller and far more quieter place without the shine of Lorelei around and her beloved frequently went out in search of her even though the people of Highcoast tried to stop him. Even when the King forbid him from going the Fisherman would still sneak out until finally King Aphetus had him locked away in one of the castle's rooms. In the mean time, more and more sightings were being announced of odd almost human-like creatures upon the shores of Highcoast. Some believed they were creatures sent by Lorelei's vengeful spirit as they would sometimes attack humans that came too close. Others thought they were her children as many had her likeliness and her love of song. Although, because of the law forbidding anyone of speaking what had happened they remained silent even as unrest continued to fester and grow within the Kingdom like a blister waiting to burst. Things were not over with however...the man who believed himself scorned had not finished with his revenge upon Lorelei and her love. Just as he made Lorelei pay and was the cause of her demise, he wished for her beloved to pay just as much. He went to the room that King Aphetus had locked the Fisherman in and...He lied. He told the Fisherman that if he desired to know what happened to his beloved he should go to the shores and speak with the human creatures there. They would know and they would help him find his wife. None the wiser, the Fisherman went to the shore under the cover of night once released by the man. Once there...he was met with a group of what would later be known as 'Sirens'. What the humans did not know was that the Seafolk were born with the knowledge of what had been done to their Mother, many blamed the foolish humans and vowed to kill any that came near. The man had sent the Fisherman to one such group and they dragged him under, dumb to the fact that the one they killed was their father. When Loreley found out she grew nearly mad with despair and rage, sending a storm to plague both Highcoast and her children. When the reason for her anger became known and the Seafolk found out what they'd been tricked to do, their anger towards the humans only grew. Highcoast knew no rest, those that could go on land plagued the Kingdom at night. Demanding retribution or else death would always plague Highcoast. The people, buffeted by both Loreley's storms and the Seafolk's constant attacks, begged their King to find the traitor who released the Fisherman to his death. King Aphetus, mad with grief for the loss of his own child to the Seafolk began a manhunt...It didn't take long until they found out what the Nobleman had done and he confessed to everything. Laughing as the gullibility of the people and King. While the people argued over what was to be done with him, the mad Aphetus didn't hesitate to throw the Nobleman into the waters for the Seafolk to deal with. That night instead of storms and seafolk, they were plagued with the screams of a dying man. Things fell into a lull after that, many seafolk left to find new homes while some stayed to watch over the humans who'd meant so much to their mother. However, too much had happened for either side to forget and too many had been lost for the humans...especially the broken King Aphetus who did nothing but haunt the halls of his castle and mourn over his dead child. Until one day...his chambermaid found him dead beside his son's bed, a peaceful smile on his face. Highcoast...was crumbling. The Divide "Just like the seafolk, we too decided it was time to leave and find our own way." Category:World Category:Eithlodon Category:History Category:Mother deity Category:Lorelei